Overview

Mont Dolent is an important geographical summit lying just SE of the junction of 3 frontiers: France, Italy and Switzerland. The mountain has 4 irregular faces wich provide high quality snow and ice climbs of all standards, and the view from the summit is both superb and extensive. An excellent panorama of the Mont Blanc Massif is guaranteed.

FIRST CLIMB
By A. Reilly and E. Whymper with M. Croz, H. Charlet and M. Payot on July 9, 1864.

FIRST WINTER CLIMB
By G. Couchepin, O. Dehms, J. Sautier and R. Schanze with M. Crettez on March 12, 1911.

Huts

BIVACCO FIORIO (2.800 m)
CAAI, 20 places, no reservation possible, no warden. Placed on the rocky flanks that form the left bank of the Pré de Bar glacier. There is no toilet. It is a matter of common sense where you collect the water you drink. The old hut 30 m lower has room for 5. Tel: Italy-(0039)-(0)11-546031

REFUGE D'ARGENTIERE (2.771 m)
CAF, 150 places (68 in winter), guarded on February weekends (weather depends), from late February to mid May and from late June to mid Septembre, tel 04 50 53 16 92, warden tel. 04 50 54 62 51 before warden period. Placed on the right bank of the Argentière glacier at the foot of the SW (Jardin) ridge of the Aiguille d'Argentière.
email: refugeargentiere@yahoo.fr

REFUGE DE L'A NEUVE (2.735 m)
CAS, 28 places (20 in winter), warden from the end of June to the end of September. Placed under Pointes des Essettes to the east of the A Neuve glacier, tel: 027 783 24 24. Site.

It is usual (at least in the Alps) that local authorities measure their mountains. Thus when the French draw a map they would take the altitude from the Italians or the Swiss. The exactitude of the Swiss topography is 1 cm today. Maybe it is 3819.xx m, and my reading is rounded.

No alpenkalb, what I'm saying is that topography is not an exact science. The measurements depend on many factors and different editions of maps give different heights for the same top. Some people here, as gordonye, could tell us the differences on measurements using different projections, measuring systems, etc.

I don't think that it's a doleful affair. Why? The mountains have ever marked the frontiers between countries. However, mountaineering is aside politics in many cases, so I don't think that rating the climbs or views of Mont Dolent from different territories would be interesting.

Anyway it's curious that story of the Ohio River. Thanks for reading my page.

It is usual (at least in the Alps) that local authorities measure their mountains. Thus when the French draw a map they would take the altitude from the Italians or the Swiss. The exactitude of the Swiss topography is 1 cm today. Maybe it is 3819.xx m, and my reading is rounded.

No alpenkalb, what I'm saying is that topography is not an exact science. The measurements depend on many factors and different editions of maps give different heights for the same top. Some people here, as gordonye, could tell us the differences on measurements using different projections, measuring systems, etc.

I don't think that it's a doleful affair. Why? The mountains have ever marked the frontiers between countries. However, mountaineering is aside politics in many cases, so I don't think that rating the climbs or views of Mont Dolent from different territories would be interesting.

Anyway it's curious that story of the Ohio River. Thanks for reading my page.